The Hardest Part Wasn’t the Eating Disorder
In 1986 a friend wrote a poem about me. I was anorexic and disappearing. People who read it now feel relieved I survived that time. But here’s what they don’t know — being anorexic was actually the easy part. The hardest part came after.
Why ‘The Science of Weight Loss’ Won’t Actually Help You
A magazine headline promised “The Science of Weight Loss.” I didn’t buy it. Not the magazine — and not the premise. Here’s why science alone can never tell you what your own body already knows.
Can Shapewear Really Be Body Positive?
A shapewear ad called itself “body positive” while selling products designed to reshape women’s bodies. I’m not against shapewear. But I am against sleight of hand marketing that mistakes a product for a solution — and keeps women stuck in the underlying pain.
Happy Calories Don’t Count® vs Intuitive Eating — What’s the Difference?
I get asked this question constantly in Seattle’s alternative health community: how is Happy Calories Don’t Count® different from intuitive eating? The differences come down to two things — the underlying model and the methodology. Here’s what that actually means.
Why Oprah’s Food and Diet Ventures Miss the Point
Oprah is one of the most powerful women in the world. And yet her ventures — from Weight Watchers to cauliflower pizza — all operate from within the same broken model. Here’s why even the most well-intentioned diet culture contributions keep women stuck.
My Story: From Anorexia and 200 Pounds to Happy Calories Don’t Count®
At seventeen I was hospitalized for anorexia at 80 pounds. At thirty I was 200 pounds and suicidal. What happened between those two moments — and after — became the foundation of everything I teach. This is my story.
Is Body Positivity Actually Making Things Worse?
“Love your body” sounds beautiful. But you can’t compel yourself to love anything — least of all your body. Here’s why the Body Positivity movement, despite its good intentions, often leaves women with more pain than peace.
The Serenity Prayer and the Secret to Ending the Food Fight
The Serenity Prayer talks about accepting what you can’t change, changing what you can, and having the wisdom to know the difference. It turns out that’s also the perfect framework for understanding why diet culture fails, why body positivity falls short, and what Happy Calories Don’t Count® actually does differently.
What Nobody Knows About the Happiest Person in the Room
Everyone describes me the same way — happy, energetic, vivacious. What they don’t know is that I live with depression. Not the situational kind. The kind that just is. Here’s what I’ve learned about living with it — and how the same principles behind Happy Calories Don’t Count® changed my relationship with that too.
Why We Accept Aging But Not Our Bodies
I finally went to the optometrist and was annoyed that my eyesight was changing with age. Then I noticed something ironic. We accept aging as something we can’t control — but we carry enormous shame about our weight and bodies because we believe we can control them. What if that belief is the problem?